Lemon Tart Buttery Crust (Print version)

Bright citrus tart nestled in crisp, buttery shortcrust, ideal for spring dinner endings.

# What You Need:

→ Buttery Crust

01 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
03 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar
04 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
05 - 1 large egg yolk
06 - 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water

→ Lemon Filling

07 - 3 large eggs
08 - 2 large egg yolks
09 - 1 cup granulated sugar
10 - 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 3 to 4 lemons
11 - 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
12 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
13 - Pinch of salt

→ Garnish

14 - Powdered sugar for dusting
15 - Thinly sliced lemon wheels
16 - Fresh berries or mint leaves

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
02 - In a food processor, pulse together flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Add cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolk and 2 tablespoons ice water. Pulse just until dough comes together, adding additional water as needed.
03 - Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
04 - Roll out dough to fit a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press dough into pan, trim edges, and prick base with a fork. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
05 - Bake crust for 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment paper; bake another 10 minutes until lightly golden. Cool slightly.
06 - In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, melted butter, and salt until smooth.
07 - Pour filling into warm crust. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the center is just set but still slightly wobbly.
08 - Cool tart completely on a wire rack. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
09 - Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with lemon slices, berries, or mint if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crust stays crisp even after two days in an airtight container—it's the kind of dessert that actually improves slightly as it sits.
  • You can make the dough weeks ahead and freeze it, so you're only ever 30 minutes away from impressing someone.
  • It tastes expensive and French but doesn't require any special equipment beyond what most kitchens already have.
02 -
  • That wobble in the center is everything—if the entire filling is perfectly set, you've overcooked it and it will taste rubbery instead of creamy and silken.
  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice is not optional here; bottled juice tastes hollow and metallic, and this dessert lives or dies by the brightness of the lemons.
  • Cold butter cubes in the food processor are the difference between a sandy, flaky crust and one that's dense and tough; even five minutes at room temperature changes the result.
03 -
  • Zest your lemons before you juice them—once they're cut in half, you can't zest them properly, and a microplane makes the task take about 30 seconds.
  • If you don't have pie weights, dried beans work perfectly and you can reuse them for months; just let them cool and store them in a jar.
  • A tart pan with a removable bottom is worth the small investment because it lets you slide the tart onto a serving plate, which looks far more elegant than serving it in the pan.
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